What Dreams May Come
by Star of Heaven
Summary: Karin swore to love every part of Yuri, even the woman he loves. [Karin x Alice]


_What Dreams May Come_

Disclaimer: I don't own Shadow Hearts. This is a story about a femmeslash (girl/girl) pairing. If that bothers you, then hit the back button. It's that simple. Otherwise, enjoy!

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Maybe this was nothing more than a fantasy. After all, it was a dream. But Karin was certain that this was real. It wasn't like a waking dream; this was the present, not the future. Karin wanted to convince herself of that. This was happening now, and this was true, she continued to tell herself. 

The grass stretched on as far as the eye could see. There was nothing else in sight. The clear blue sky met with the perfectly level ground, and the sun was directly above Karin and Alice. While it was warm and bright, it was not overly hot or blinding. Karin felt calm here, something she rarely felt these days. She was truly grateful for that feeling.

"This is a beautiful place," Karin said, clutching Alice's hand slightly tighter.

"It's a part of my memory," Alice replied. "With Yuri, I was able to see so many new places. Very few of them were this peaceful, but that's not surprising since I was with Yuri. Still, I know even he liked the occasional peaceful spot."

Karin smiled and sat down on the soft grass. Alice, still holding Karin's hand, did the same. They often sat in silence together. It was very relaxing and peaceful. Sometimes, Karin wanted nothing more than to stay here forever. Physically, none of this was real, but everything she felt inside was true.

"How is Yuri doing?" Alice asked, laying her head on Karin's firm shoulder.

"He's as reckless and stubborn as ever," Karin answered, almost wishfully.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes. That photograph couldn't change my feelings."

Alice smiled softly. "It's okay to love him. Love is such a wonderful emotion. You shouldn't try to suppress it."

"That only makes it hurt worse," Karin agreed. She chuckled lightly. "I swore to myself that I would love every part of Yuri. Maybe that's why I fell in love with you."

A sigh slipped with Alice's lips. "I do wish I had meant you in life, even if we wouldn't have fallen in love with each other. I wonder what it would be like to see you in something more than dreams."

"Loving two people can be a problem in reality," Karin added. "But it can be rather pleasant in dreams. The feeling of love is still real. You don't feel like you're cheating on Yuri, do you?"

"No," Alice assured, shaking her head. "Yuri would understand that I love both him and you."

"That's good." Karin wrapped her arm around Alice's shoulders and held the blonde woman closer.

Alice was a wonderful person, Karin believed. It wasn't only because of Yuri that she was in love with Alice. There was more to that love. She often wondered if she would've fallen in love with Alice instead of Yuri if Alice had been still alive. Sometimes that idea made her heart hurt. She did want to be in love with both Yuri and Alice, and she didn't wish to give up either of those feelings of love.

Still, despite being in love with two different people, Karin never felt like her heart was being pulled in opposite directions. She had accepted the fact that neither of them could truly return her love; Yuri was too much in love with Alice and Alice was dead. Even if Yuri did move on, Karin wouldn't always be able to love him in the way she wanted to. Saki's photograph had shown her the truth. Even so, the love Karin felt now was enough to satisfy her. It had been hard to accept those cruel facts, but she would treasure this love for as long as she could.

"Karin, I want to show you something," Alice said. She stood up and so did Karin. For some reason, Karin felt as if she couldn't release Alice's hand. Or rather, she didn't want to let go.

The green grass and the blue sky seemed to melt away as a more dismal area materialized around the two women. Beneath them was a stone ground and on each of the four sides there was an unusual door with no walls to hold it in place. In the middle was a rotting tree with a naked man growing out of it. He looked much like Yuri.

"Is this Yuri's soul?" Karin wondered aloud.

Alice nodded grimly. "This is where all of his Fusion monsters gather. Sometimes I fear he may become trapped here." She paused uneasily. "When I saw him again, he was in so much pain, and that pain is consuming him."

"Yuri..." Karin whispered, unable to say more.

Alice turned to face Karin and gripped the red-haired woman's arms. "Karin, help Yuri find that makes him happiest," Alice requested, feeling stronger. "That will free him from this place."

Karin smiled and laid her hands on Alice's shoulders. "I will," the red-haired woman promised.

Alice returned Karin's smile. "Protect him for as long as you can. Soon it'll be my turn to protect him."

"He can be quite the handful, can't he?"

"Of course. That's what makes him Yuri."

Karin wrapped her arms around Alice and held the blonde woman tightly. "I'll be wishing that both of you can find happiness with each other," Karin said.

"Thank you, Karin," Alice replied. Against her chest she could feel the cross of Anne lying on Karin's breasts. "Yuri really does care about you."

Alice and Karin gently pulled away from each other, and after a brief moment, they shared one final kiss. When the precious kiss ended, Karin began floating away. "Goodbye, Alice. I'll watch over Yuri and try to keep him out of trouble."

"And I'll continue to pray for you and Yuri and all of your friends," Alice promised.

As Karin floated further and further away, Alice became smaller and smaller. Leaving the dream was the hardest part, and it never seemed to get any easier. When Alice was finally out of sight, Karin woke up. The dream had ended, but Karin was not disappointed. As long as she loved Alice, there were still many dreams to come.


End file.
